Determining the causal relationships among balanced scorecard perspectives on school safety performance: Case of Saudi Arabia

In the public schools of many developing countries, numerous accidents and incidents occur because of poor safety regulations and management systems. To improve the educational environment in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Education seeks novel approaches to measure school safety performance in order to decrease incidents and accidents. The main objective of this research was to develop a systematic approach for measuring Saudi school safety performance using the balanced scorecard framework philosophy. The evolved third generation balanced scorecard framework is considered to be a suitable and robust framework that captures the system-wide leading and lagging indicators of business performance. The balanced scorecard architecture is ideal for adaptation to complex areas such as safety management where a holistic system evaluation is more effective than traditional compartmentalised approaches. In developing the safety performance balanced scorecard for Saudi schools, the conceptual framework was first developed and peer-reviewed by eighteen Saudi education experts. Next, 200 participants, including teachers, school executives, and Ministry of Education officers, were recruited to rate both the importance and the performance of 79 measurement items used in the framework. Exploratory factor analysis, followed by the confirmatory partial least squares method, was then conducted in order to operationalise the safety performance balanced scorecard, which encapsulates the following five salient perspectives: safety management and leadership; safety learning and training; safety policy, procedures and processes; workforce safety culture; and safety performance. Partial least squares based structural equation modelling was then conducted to reveal five significant relationships between perspectives, namely, safety management and leadership had a significant effect on safety learning and training and safety policy, procedures and processes, both safety learning and training and safety policy, procedures and processes had significant effects on workforce safety culture, and workforce safety culture had a significant effect on safety performance.     

吸引与赋能消费者：沙特阿拉伯在食品创新、新兴技术及信息误导时代如何实现有效沟通（中英文）

本文梳理了沙特食品管理机构面临的挑战,探讨了有效沟通策略在食品安全管理机构中的重要作用,尤其是聚焦于沙特阿拉伯食品和药物管理局（SFDA）。采用创新策略,包括人工智能驱动的情感分析、聊天机器人和人工智能应用、处理错误信息的策略等,成为应对监测公众感知、解答咨询和科学不确定性、以及吸引关注等挑战的关键组成部分。在当前快速发展的数字化环境、新兴技术的涌现,以及虚假信息广泛传播的背景下,本文着眼于阐明风险沟通对于建立和维护消费者信任的重要性。风险沟通的动态格局要求机构不断调整策略并采取主动措施,以赋予消费者权利并确保食品安全。SFDA的多维策略方法成为适应数字时代不断演变需求有效风险沟通的典范。     

Cost,footprint, and reliability implications of deploying hydrogen in off-grid electric vehicle charging stations: A GIS-assisted study for Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

For the first time, we quantify cost, footprint, and reliability implications of deploying hydrogen-based generation in off-grid electric vehicle charging stations (CS) using an optimization model coupled with a geographic information system (GIS) analysis for the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We also account for the challenges associated with wind energy deployment as a candidate generation technology within city centers. The analysis was restricted to carbon-free technologies: photovoltaics (PV), wind, battery, and hydrogen fuel-cells. At current prevailing technology costs, hydrogen can reduce the required footprint of off-grid CSs by 25% at a small incremental cost increase without impacting the charging reliability. By 2030, however, hydrogen will simultaneously provide the footprint and cost advantages. If we allow as little as 5% of the annual load to be unmet, the required footprint of the CS decreases by 60%. The levelized cost of energy values for the CS by 2030 can range between 0.13 and 0.20 $/kWh depending on learning-curve assumptions. The footprints calculated are then mapped to five land parcel categories in Riyadh: gas station, hospital, mall, school, and university. Incorporating hydrogen in CS design increases the number of parcels that could accommodate CSs by 15–45% via reducing the required PV array (i.e., footprint).     

Food safety organisations in Saudi Arabia – Organisational,historical and future analysis

Food safety organisations around the world are increasingly seeking to develop public policies to protect society, improve the economy, and ensure food safety and quality, by reducing the risks of food-borne illnesses, commercial adulteration, and food fraud. These risks present real threats to the food industry worldwide. The development of these organisations often revolves around reform of their systems, focussing on law, regulations, and improving the performance of enforcement officials. This article analyses the historical development of food safety organisations in Saudi Arabia, including the structures and functions of government and non-government organisations. It focuses on the official decisions contributing to public policy leading to the growth and expansion of these organisations, their roles and their functions. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), a central authority, has recently been established in order to unify enforcement and legislative roles in food safety previously carried out by different Saudi government organisations. Several current and future challenges to food safety in Saudi are identified and discussed.     

A physically-based flood volume distribution model

An analytically derived distribution model for flood volume is presented. The model is based on water balance computations during a rainstorm at the soil surface. It is applicable for mountainous watersheds with alluvial channels. Three hydrologic processes are considered: precipitation, infiltration, and runoff generation. Rainfall intensity and duration are presented with exponential distributions. They are assumed to be statistically independent. A linear rainfall-runoff relationship is proposed for the mountainous areas. The mountain runoff is regarded as a uniformly distributed water depth on the alluvial channels. The rainfall excess in the alluvial channels is computed to be equal to this depth plus the rainfall depth minus the infiltration losses. Infiltration in the channels is presented with Philip's expression, coupled with an empirical model for the computation of a long-term average value for the soil moisture content. The distribution model is verified through applications for three gauged watersheds in Saudi Arabia: Wadi Liyyah (174 km²), Wadi Turrabah (3720 km²), and Wadi Khulays (5220 km²). The results are found to be in a good agreement with observations.On leave from the Irrigation and Hydraulics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.     

Assessing safety measures in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia

The incidence rate of fire in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia accounts for 69% of all building fires. A field assessment of current safety issues for residential buildings in Saudi Arabia is used to identify common safety deficiencies. The survey showed that most residents are ignorant many safety aspects in their homes. A safety audit checklist for assessing the effectiveness of safety measures in existing residential buildings is also presented. Based on these findings, a number of strategies for designers, local authorities, building owners and residents is suggested.     

Analysis of sectoral energy and exergy use of Saudi Arabia

This paper presents the analysis of sectoral energy and exergy utilization of Saudi Arabia by considering the energy and exergy flows for the 12 years between 1990 and 2001. Sectoral energy and exergy efficiencies are obtained for the subsectors and the devices used in each sector. Energy and exergy flow diagrams for Saudi Arabia are also presented, respectively, to illustrate the situation on how energy and exergy efficiencies vary in each sector. The residential sector appears to be the most energy efficient sector, and the industrial sector to be the most exergy efficient. It is believed that the current methodology is useful for analyzing sectoral energy and exergy utilization, which will help Saudi Arabia with energy savings through energy efficiency and/or energy conservation measures. It is also be helpful to establish standards to facilitate application in various sectors and processes for a sustainable energy planning. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

炼制沙轻—胜利原油常减压塔顶冷换设备的腐蚀

上海石化股份有限公司 2号常减压蒸馏装置 ,自 2 0 0 0年加工沙轻 -胜利高硫混合原油后 ,减顶预冷器EC - 10 4和常顶油气换热器E - 5 0 0 2均因腐蚀而发生泄漏。当加工上述混合原油时 ,其脱后原油盐含量大于 5mg/L ,三顶冷凝水中S2 -含量很高 ,因此减、常顶系统的腐蚀为H2 Cl-H2 S -H2 O型腐蚀。进行破乳剂优化筛选 ,原油合理调配以及选用了 3RE60或 2 2 0 5双相不锈钢管束后 ,腐蚀得到控制     

新型电动机械式打孔器在沙特钻修井中的应用

多年以来,在沙特阿拉伯的很多油井由于井下的设备受到严重腐蚀经常需要进行钻修井作业。在作业中为了井控安全的要求,往往需要在油管上打一个孔作为循环压井液的通道。为了完成在油管上打孔作业,钻修井作业有时会因用传统的机械打孔方法不成功、装运炸药和组织射孔工具花费时间,从而导致生产时效上不经济。本文介绍了一种由沙特阿美公司最新研发的通过钢丝输送的电动机械式打孔器,通过在几口钻修井的应用实例表明打孔成功率达到100%,而且解决了传统的打孔方法所产生的问题。